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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726430">Across The Plains</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachelAnneWrites/pseuds/RachelAnneWrites'>RachelAnneWrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Call the Midwife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:35:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,341</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726430</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachelAnneWrites/pseuds/RachelAnneWrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An Alternate Universe take on Call the Midwife. This AU is located on the Kansas Heartland during the same time as Call The Midwife (1950s/60s), with minimal changes to characters and situations seen in the show.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bernadette | Shelagh Turner &amp; Angela Turner, Bernadette | Shelagh Turner &amp; Angela Turner &amp; Timothy Turner, Bernadette | Shelagh Turner &amp; Patrick Turner, Bernadette | Shelagh Turner &amp; Timothy Turner, Bernadette | Shelagh Turner/Patrick Turner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Letter from Rachel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dear Reader,<br/>
The story you are about to read combines my love of Shelagh and Patrick Turner and the Cast of Call the Midwife with my home area that I hold very dear.</p><p>If you’ve read my work before, you might recall that I am a native Kansan. Kansas is both beautiful and rustic, but at the same time, there is so much about Kansas that a Tourist will never see by just touring through the ‘big’ cities of Wichita, Kansas City, and Topeka. </p><p>The hidden beauty, awe, and wonder lie in the towns that outsiders have no clue how to pronounce, and directions to these towns stray along the lines of “take x road to y random landmark, make a (right/left) turn, go x amount of distance, and BAM” you’ve found this tiny town that you didn’t know existed. </p><p>There are enough tiny towns in Kansas that to include them all would be impossible. I’ve chosen to focus my energy on a few of these towns that mean something to me. Every town is unique, and history impacts how the story ebbs and flows.  A logical question now might be to ask, what towns did you choose? Why did you choose these towns? A good question, my dear friend, I shall explain. </p><p>Goessel will forever and always hold a place in my heart. No matter how far I try to go from the Blue and White, it seems to follow me. Goessel, pronounced g-ah-sell, a town of just under 600 people. These people are proud to be a Small Town with a Big Heart and cheer on their 6-12th grade athletes regularly in many sports and extracurricular activities. This town is home to my Alma Mater High School and people I wish I could still keep in touch with. Goessel is named after Captian Kurt von Goessel, who went down with his ship “Elbe” (From which the high school’s select vocal group “Elbiata” gets its name). </p><p>North Newton and Newton are two towns that, honestly, even locals forget are separate entities. Newton is the town that small-town inhabitants go-to for all of the needs that can’t be met at a CO-OP or small grocery store. Newton is home to a larger hospital than the rural hospital mentioned in this story. Newton Medical Center is where cases that are too severe for rural hospitals but not severe enough for Wichita hospitals are treated. North Newton is home to Bethel College, a Mennonite college whose history runs deep in Nursing and Education training. </p><p>To leave some element of surprise, I’ve chosen to pepper in smaller towns as I go, with a note or two of background added at the bottom. I’m well aware that by choosing to intertwine my personal life and fanfiction, I’ve sinned- but I think that this setting could be the perfect “alternate universe” for Call The Midwife. So, speaking of Alternate Universes. This is not a Modern AU, but rather a 1950s-1960s Kansas AU. We’re keeping the same timelines and most of the character depth that you already know, but we’re adding a lens that allows me to use a setting that I am familiar with IRL.</p><p>Thank You SO MUCH for Reading<br/>
Rachel.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Welcome to Kansas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There is a place, settled upon the sweeping plains of Kansas, where the clear blue sky seems endless, and paved roads are few and far between. This place is a tiny town, reminiscent of Ukrainian and Prussian villages from the 1800s. A place where farming, church, school, and nursing care are the heart of everyday living, This is Goessel.</p><p>Life is simple here, where the horizon is unbroken along the edges of fields. There is very little. A small grocery store, a bank, a credit union, the city building which houses city operations and the library, an Elementary school serving Kindergarten through 5th-grade students, a combined Junior-Senior High School serving 6th-12th grades, a preschool, a park, and connected nursing home and hospital. </p><p>In 1956, tensions flared as the proposal to close eight one-room schools and build one brand new elementary school came to the table. Although this may have been shocking to Jenny Lee as she found her feet in Goessel, it was nothing new to Bethesda’s seasoned team. </p><p>“Sister Shelagh, could you look at Mrs. Schmidt? She keeps pulling her stitches out and claiming that she isn’t attempting to feed a harvest crew less than a week after giving birth.”</p><p>“Yes, Nurse Franklin. Have you seen our newest recruit? A Nurse Lee, I believe?”</p><p>“No, Sister, I have not. Perhaps Sister Julienne has? I’ve got to keep moving; this hospital is quite large, you know.”</p><p>Shelagh Mannion couldn’t help but sigh. She knew that Trixie Franklin was being sarcastic, but at the same time, Shelagh knew that all of Trixie’s training had been at Bethesda- being that she was a lay nurse rather than a deaconess. </p><p>Training had changed tremendously in the nine years since Shelagh had finished hers at Bethel Deaconess Hospital, but so had the world. The world Shelagh lived in now was much different from the one her mother and father lived in, especially Scottish immigrants. </p><p>“Enough dilly-dallying, Shelagh! For goodness sakes, there are patients to be tended.”</p><p>That day seemed to drag on, but there was one person Shelagh could count on to show up and make the day better- Doctor Patrick Turner. Doctor Turner was one of the few Doctors who dared to take on an assignment to Bethesda Hospital and Home for the Aged. Once, Shelagh asked Sister Julienne about Doctor Turner- but her response was simple. </p><p>“Doctor Turner came to us through a State of Kansas program. He was merely to be here for five years for rehabilitation after his time in service; however, afterward, he felt he had a duty to his [now deceased] wife Marianne and young Timothy.”</p><p>Shelagh couldn’t be sure, but when she was around him, her heart felt a bit lighter, even in the toughest of circumstances. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for the company she had at dinner.</p><p>That night the only topic of conversation anyone other than Sisters Shelagh, Julienne, Evangelina, and Monica Joan wanted to partake in was the upcoming community forum about building a brand new elementary school in town. </p><p>“I simply don’t understand why the community should have to pay to bring children into town when the small country schools are close enough for children to walk and are excellent education,” Nurse Cynthia Miller argued. </p><p>“I think it will be wonderful; children already have to come into town if they want to finish school at the High School. Parents can put all of their children on one bus, and they can all get a good quality education,” Nurse Franklin countered.</p><p>“Might I remind you that it is up to the community to determine what they feel best for all of the children around us? While we may have a small say in that decision as community members, it would be best not to continue this discussion. Especially with our patients, this is a particularly decisive issue.” Sister Evangelina cut off.</p><p>“I’d like to turn your attention to our newest addition- Nurse Jennifer Lee. She’s just in from training at Bethel Deaconess Hospital and up for a challenge with some of our more complex cases.”</p><p>That evening during devotions, Shelagh couldn’t help but let her mind wander. In less than two weeks would be the anniversary of Marianne’s death. Shelagh remembered vividly helping clean and prepare Marianne’s body for viewing and the funeral at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church even more. It was a beautiful service for a very well-loved woman. </p><p>Even more vividly, Shelagh remembered Doctor Turner and Timothy around that time. Timothy was a shy, young child, nearly finished learning to read but still in need of a mother’s love and care to keep him developing. With every memory and every moment with Doctor Turner, something deep down was growing within Shelagh. </p><p>Sometimes, she wondered if it was indeed her calling to be a Deaconess.</p>
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